The Nigerian equities market closed mildly bullish on Thursday, May 21, 2026, recouping part of the previous session’s losses as renewed buying interest in selected large- and mid-cap stocks outweighed profit-taking following the recent market rally.
The benchmark NGX All-Share Index (ASI) rose marginally by 0.05% to close at 249,175.39 points, up from 249,062.37 points recorded in the prior session.
Consequently, market capitalisation climbed N72.44bn, while the market’s year-to-date (YTD) return climbed to 60.13%, reflecting bullish momentum.
The positive performance was driven by buying interest in selected stocks, particularly in UNILEVER (+9.80%), EUNISELL (+9.41%), UACN (+3.80%), TIP (+3.21%), WEMABANK (+1.21%), and 14 others.
However, despite the market closing positively, underlying sentiment remained weak, with market breadth settling negatively, with 45 decliners against 19 gainers.
This shows that the modest rise in the benchmark index was largely supported by gains in a handful of influential stocks, while broader market activity remained tilted toward profit-taking and selective selloffs.
INTENEGINS topped the gainers’ chart, while BERGER led the decliners. Meanwhile, EUNISELL traded above its 52-week high at N209.95.
The Proshare Memorandum Indexes closed slightly bearish, with the market cap-weighted index down 0.02% to 1,537.99 points from 1,538.27 points in the previous session, while the total return float-adjusted index was down 0.07% to 1,068.03 points from 1,068.74 points
Volume and Value Contribution
Market activity was up for the day, with total volume traded advanced 76.39% to 1.06bn, valued at N30.97bn across 62,448 deals.
STERLINGNG recorded the highest volume with 322.68m units traded, accounting for 30.48% of the day’s volume, while ARADEL recorded the highest value at N5.06bn, accounting for 16.35% of the value traded for the day.
JAPAULGOLD and FIDELITYBK accounted for 9.10% and 5.39% of total volume, respectively, while ZENITHBANK and STERLINGNG followed ARADEL in traded value.
NASD OTC Exchange – Unlisted Equities
Similarly, the unlisted NASD Securities Index (NSI) closed bullish today, up 1.71% to 4,242.47 points from 4,171.19 points on Wednesday.
The total volume traded advanced to 3.21m valued at N94.83m, across 42 deals.
At the close of trading, the NASD OTC recorded five (5) gainers and three (3) losers.
Global Indices
The global indices were broadly negative on Thursday, with Mexico’s IPC leading the losers’ chart. For more updates on the Global scene.
AFEX Commodity Prices
On the AFEX Commodity prices, Sorghum increased by 2.58% to close at N438.07, while Maize and Soybeans fell by 15.00% and 0.18%, respectively, to close at N224.54 and N730.00.
Global Commodity Prices
In the global commodity market, Gold and Silver fell by 0.48% and 0.78%, respectively, to close at US$4,510.81 and US$75.20. Brent and WTI crude futures climbed 1.86% and 2.23%, respectively, to close at US$106.97 and US$100.45 as of 02:39 PM GMT on Thursday after Reuters reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader has issued a directive that the country’s near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad.
Currency / FX Market
The average BDC rate appreciated 0.36% from N1,395/USD to N1,390/USD, while the NFEM rate appreciated by 0.08% from N1,373.34/USD to N1,372.31/USD. For updates on the Nigerian FX Market